Oui! Oui!

Can you think of anything more chic than sitting in a French cafe, sipping wine, gazing up at the Eiffel Tower and watching the fashionable people walk by? No, neither can I.

Mr. Sugarplum took me to Paris in 1999, and it was as fabulous as I’d imagined (unfortunately, the chic part didn’t rub off on me, y’all!). And since then, I’ve been infatuated with all things Parisian (not that pink and black crap from Hobby Lobby!), including the Tolix chairs and stools.

has musen

desire to inspire

desire to inspire

design sponge

It’s rumored that the chairs were created in 1934 for use in the weather forecasting room on a battleship. After that, they were supplied to French bars and brasseries by breweries in exchange for selling their beer. (well that’s a nice arrangement!). They are made in France, and while you can buy them from Design Within Reach, Pottery Barn and Sundance Catalog, you won’t find them for less than $250 each!

Which is why they aren’t mixing it up at my breakfast table!

So of course, when I walked into a new, casual, Mediterranean restaurant last week….my jaw dropped to see an entire room filled with them!

under the table covert paparazzi iPhone pic

I couldn’t even pay attention to the menu, or the food…I was too busy calculating what they must have spent just on chairs and stools!!

behind the back covert paparazzi iPhone pic

You know I asked the owner about them…and he said they were a special order, shipped from France. Cha-ching just for the shipping!!?? It’s a yummy little spot, but costs less than $10/person to eat….so I guess they are planning on selling a lot of pitas! What do you think….fabulous, or overkill?